INDYSTRUCTIBLE

For this episode of Indystructible, I hung out with Eli Smith, a musician, ethnomusicologist and founder of the Brooklyn Folk Festival. Now in its tenth year, the festival features hundreds of bands from all over the world. There are workshops, open jam sessions and a banjo throwing competition. It’s taking place this year at St. Annes Church from April 6th to the 9th. If you are listening in the New York area, I highly recommend you come down and check it out. You’ll find more details at brooklynfolkfest.com In this interview Eli and I sat down at his home near the Jalopy Theater in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We discussed the rich history of folk music in New York City, America and the world and the importance of carrying the tradition forward, especially in this day and age.

Comedian Judah Friedlander drops by to discuss his new Netflix special, "America is the Greatest Country in the United States," which uses humor to take on U.S. exceptionalism. We had a wide-ranging conversation on why this country is so fucked-up, fighting back and being a world champion.

Politicians across the country are falling over themselves to host Amazon’s 2nd North American headquarters — HQ2. Last week, dozens of municipalities submitted bids to Amazon hoping to lure the company to their city. In this episode, we hear from Jeff Reifman, a tech blogger, former Microsoft employee and a longtime resident of Seattle who says cities should think twice before welcoming the online retailer. Our conversation touched on Amazon’s impact on Jeff’s hometown, gentrification and the class politics of the tech industry in general.

Indystructible takes you inside the Mother of all Rallies and the Juggalo March. Later on in this episode, our music critic, Brady O'Callahan, reviews 'Need to Feel Your Love' from Sheer Mag.